Musings from Brian J. Noggle

Brian Sides With Big Business, Again

CNet reports that Cities brace for broadband war. Why a war?

A hundred years ago, when Louisiana was still literally in the dark, residents of Lafayette banded together to build a city-owned electric utility where once there was little more than swampland. Today, at the dawn of the 21st century, it is hatching plans to lay out its own state-of-the-art fiber-optic broadband network.

This time, the city's futuristic ambitions are challenged not by the rigors of geography but by obstacles of business: specifically, telecommunications giant BellSouth and cable provider Cox Communications, which claimed the region as their own years ago. But the historic coastal community, known for its eclectic culture and rhythmic Zydeco music, is not about to abandon the pioneering spirit that begat its visionary reputation.

So who's resisting? Aside from advocates of a limited government, who think that governments shouldn't waste vast sums of money on gee-whiz gimcracks that benefit a limited number of residents, the businesses whose customers the local government is turning into government dependents:

Across the country, acrimonious conflicts have erupted as local governments attempt to create publicly funded broadband services with faster connections and cheaper rates for all citizens, narrowing the so-called digital divide. The Bells and cable companies, for their part, argue that government intervention in their business is not justified and say they are far better equipped to operate complex and far-flung data networks.

You know I agree with the businesses here. Just because the government can provide a service doesn't mean it should. Who on the green, green earth would want all of their Internet traffic going directly through routers and servers managed by the government? I guess those who would get it free and would eventually fight tooth and nail, complete with sob stories about how little Timmy wouldn't get his educational Internet or streaming media, should the government ever need to cut the superfluous expense.

- posted by Brian J. @ 8:56 AM